The Birth in the Death  rewrite now complete
by twilitbones
Summary: This is a rewrite of my previous story. I felt it wasn't complete, so I finished it. Please reread.


**I don't own Bones, I know I have 206 in my body, but the Bones from Fox isn't mine.**

It is only Saturday, and I wish it were Thursday. I can't wait for the next episode. I don't want them to sleep together. I want a long courtship, and a lot of Booth romance.

The Birth in the Death

The Jeffersonian was changing the main exhibit in the beginning of June, and although Dr. Brennan didn't usually work with dinosaurs, she accepted their proposal to have her team help with the reconstruction. She called Vincent Nigel Murray in on Hodgins insistence that he help.

Hodgins knew Vincent's secret passion was dinosaurs. They had talked about it at length, during the quiet times that separate cases. The bones were delivered later that afternoon, and when Vincent arrived, he was overjoyed. He constantly quoted statistics and irrelevant facts about dinosaurs during the reconstructions. The whole team was drawn into his enthusiasm.

Booth arrived and compared him to a 'child in a candy store'. Bones was drawn into their fun, and quietly watched from her office, as Booth approached her.

"Hey Bones, we got a case. Body was found in an abandoned ship, which was on display near a park. Want to go?"

"Booth, when have I ever refused to go with you to a crime scene? Let me grab my stuff."

They arrived on the scene and she examined the remains. Soon they were having them shipped off to the Jeffersonian. Booth disappeared for a short time, while she prepared the remains, but she thought he was questioning a suspect. She waited for him at his truck.

"Booth where were you? I've been waiting."

"Something doesn't feel right. I was looking around."

"Did you find anything?"

"No, maybe it's nothing. I may come back later after everyone leaves. Let's go."

He dropped her off at the Jeffersonian, and went to his office to process the paperwork. The feeling wouldn't leave him, and a little while later, he was back at the scene. He stayed for quite a while, just wandering around looking for a clue. It was something about the smell, something familiar, but it kept hidden, and he still couldn't find it.

He left, and as he was walking through the park that was part of the exhibit, his phone rang. He recognized the voice immediately.

"Hey, Booth what are you doing here?" Booth's head came up and he surveyed the area trying to see him, trying to see someone, or something in the area.

"Nothing Jacob. Why are you calling? Still trying to cope with that mistaken sense of justice?"

"No, I was just wondering why you are here? The crime scene's already been processed. Why did you come back?

"Just checking something. You do know I will get you. I always do."

"Not this time."

"You forget who you're dealing with Jacob?"

"Don't you forget, you never see the bullet that takes you down"

The phone went dead. Booth slammed his hand into his SUV. He was watching him. He knew his time was short. Jacob was closing in on the kill, and as far as he knew, he always got his man or woman. Except that one time he and Bones stopped him. He suddenly remembered Bones. He knew Jacob wanted revenge, and he remembered the conversation he and Jacob had in his living room several weeks ago.

"Hi, Booth"

"Jacob, welcome to my home, can I get you anything?"

"I just want to talk for a minute."

"You want to talk? Talk about what?"

"Paula."

"Yeah, I heard."

"What did you say, to make Paula kill herself? It must have been very mean spirited."

"You think that's my fault?"

"Yeah, funny thing is; so do you. You never could stand the idea of collateral damage."

"Do me a favor, you either shoot me, or get the hell out of my house."

"You and me Booth, we have always been on the same side."

"No, you're off the reservation pal. You want to do the right thing? You give me that gun and let me take you in."

"I'll tell you what. The day I wake up, and there are no more bad people that need killing, you're the one I come to."

"I'm coming after you Jacob. it's my job."

"There's something you should consider Booth. Of all the people that have died in our little clash of wills, Paula was the only good person. I really liked her, and you're the reason she's dead .So, tell me, standing in front of God, which one of us will be judged more harshly?"

"And here I thought you were a Buddhist."

"What I'm saying is, my conscience is clear."

"That's the problem."

"I'm coming after you, and I'm going to catch you, and the next time I have you in my sights, I'm not aiming for your knees."

"Good to know, because if that moment comes, I will not hesitate, to make that sweet son of yours, fatherless. He'll be the collateral damage."

And, with that statement, he walked out of the house. The only thing was, in the past, Jacob was not one who would exact his revenge by taking out another. He would always get his man. His idea of collateral damage was the ones who suffered for the one who died, or the ones who got in the way. He didn't think Jacob would take out the ones he loved, but Jacob was different now. He didn't live by the same code of ethics as he did before, so Booth didn't know what his next move was, and that bothered him.

He turned the sirens on and raced to the lab. He knew they would all still be there; they never left until the body was completely processed and they found out all they could from the scene.

.

.

.

Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian and saw her and Vincent looking over the remains. They were safe; Jacob wasn't here. He saw all the dinosaur bones spread around the lab.

He called out to her as he approached the body, looking down at the victim's head. "What's going on? Why are these dinosaur bones here?" "We are doing some reconstructions for the Jeffersonian. Vincent loves dinosaurs, so I called him in to assist, and now we have a body, so the bones are now second priority." She turned to Vincent.

"Vincent, have you determined cause of death yet?"

"Yes, I believe it was his heart. I think he had a congenital heart defect. If you look at the x-rays, you can see his heart is overly large." He was standing near the light box pointing to the victim's heart. Booth realized that he couldn't see the box, because Vincent was standing right in front of him. Bones walked over toward the light box.

.

They say you never hear the bullet, but as she walked toward Vincent, she heard something whiz by her ear. She saw Vincent crumple and hit the floor. Blood flowed from his chest, and as she looked at him, the light went out in his eyes. She screamed.

"We need an ambulance someone's been shot"

.

.

Booth's blood ran cold. He ran toward her as she applied pressure with her hand to Vincent's chest. He looked at the floor that surrounded her, and saw the blood pooling around her legs. He knew it was too late. There was too much blood. She kept calling Vincent's name, trying to get him to look at her, but he didn't respond. To Booth it seemed like everything moved in slow motion.

The emergency crew arrived and entered the platform. The alarms were screaming. Why didn't they stop them, someone turn them off. Booth watched her as she desperately tried to stem the flow of blood.

"Vincent, Vincent, look at me. I know you can do it, Vincent." The crews pulled the lifeless body from her arms, and he took her in his.

"Bones, Bones, look at me." She turned her eyes toward him, as the emergency crew began to wheel away the body. He saw the veil come over her face. That look that she had when she was trying to compartmentalize something. She pushed him away, and stood.

"Vincent's been shot."

"I know, Bones."

She walked away toward her office. He thought that Jacob didn't mean to hit Vincent; he meant to hit him. He was after Booth, and he was still out there. Somewhere.

He immediately went into FBI mode.

"I want this place locked down. No one gets in or out."

Everyone moved at once. He watched as Vincent's body was taken away from the lab. The alarms went off again, but he knew this time it was in response to his request.

He tries to think of a place where there was little or no access from the outside, because that is where Jacob would be far, far away from here.

"Everyone in Cam's office, now." He watched as the squints left the platform and walked toward Cam's office. After they were all gathered in Cam's office, he addressed the group.

"This place is in lockdown. No one leaves until I know it's safe. He looked around at the people who surrounded him. She wasn't there." Stay here."

He walked out of the office and placed a guard at the door.

He went to her office, and looked at her. She was sitting on the couch, with her legs drawn up, and her knees under her chin, just staring into space. He also noticed that there were too many windows around her.

"Bones, we need to get you safe. You need to go to Cam's office now."

"Booth? What happened? Where's Vincent? Who was it?"

"I think it was Jacob. He called me." She continued to stare.

He knew she needed to get out of here and away from this place. He was worried about her, and the reaction she had to the murder. She was covered in blood. He went to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Bones."

"Don't touch me."

"What?"

"Leave me alone."

He knew she was in shock, and she had to leave. He walked out of the office, and called the FBI. Marcus answered.

"I need you to get a team over here now, I have several people who need to be in protective custody, and send a crime scene team over."

The team arrived and he briefed them on his requests. Everyone was to be taken somewhere safe, and they were to have a constant watch over them. He went back to her office.

"Bones come with me. We need to leave this place. We need to go."

She looked up at him.

"What? Where? I need to talk to Vincent, see if he's better."

"Bones, you're coming home with me. Let's go now." He knew his voice was too firm, but he needed her to move.

She got up and he walked her to his car. The lot was full of agents; they were combing every inch of the area for any sign of Brodsky.

He opened the door and helped her inside. They drove to his place in silence. He walked her to his door and into the apartment.

"Stay here." He left her just inside the door, as he walked down the hall and checked his place. No one was there.

"Bones, it's safe. Come here." She walked toward him.

"Booth what happened?"

"I went back to the scene, and Jacob, called me. He was watching me, knew I was there. Something's wrong. He wants revenge. Look you need to change. Wait here a minute."

When he came back with sweat pants and a t-shirt, she hadn't moved.

"Put these on." She took the clothes, and he led her to the bathroom to change. She closed the door, and looked in the mirror, that was when she noticed that she was covered with blood.

"Booth, can I shower?"

"Yes, go ahead."

She came out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet, and she looked gorgeous in his clothes.

They talked about the case, avoiding the topic of Vincent. He made dinner, but neither of them was hungry. It became late, and he got her a pillow. She lay next to him on the couch, as they watched television. He saw the exhaustion overtake her, and she fell asleep. He carried her to his bed, and lay her down. He covered her with a blanket, and went to the living room to keep watch; he was not going to be caught unprepared.

A few hours later, he heard her screams. He came running into his bedroom, and she was standing in the middle of the room in tears. He went to her and pulled her close.

"Bones, I'm here."

"Booth he shot Vincent. He died in my arms. He died because of me."

She began to weep, as she collapsed against him. He gently sat down on the edge of the bed, still holding her close.

"I should be the one who died, Booth. It should be me."

Sobs racked her body. They stayed like that for almost an hour. He holding her tight and she crying into his chest. She finally began to calm down. He lay down on the bed still holding her close. She was quietly crying still snuggled safe in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. She was talking into his chest.

"Booth, I called him to come in today, it wasn't his turn on the rotation. I thought he would enjoy playing with the dinosaur bones. If I didn't call him, he would still be alive."

He placed his finger under her chin, and tipped her head up to look at him.

"It wasn't your fault. Jacob was after me. He wanted to hurt me. It wasn't you."

"But, I called him in." She looked up into his eyes.

He took her head in his hands, and wiped her tear streaked face with his thumbs. He looked into those beautiful blue eyes, and saw so much pain. She leaned her face toward him. He closed the last of the distance and his lips gently touched hers.

She drew her hands up around his head and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. She opened her mouth to him, and his tongue touched hers.

He remembered this feeling from the first time he kissed her, so many years ago, on the steps of the bar, in the rain. It washed over his body warming him from the inside out. He felt all the anger leave his body. All he felt was her, and he realized that he still loved her. He still wanted her. He withdrew his mouth from hers and she laid her head on his chest. He held her close until they both fell asleep. They slept the rest of the night in each other's arms, neither one of them dreaming.

.

.

As the first streaks of sun peeked through the window, Booth opened his eyes, and the horrific memory of the previous day came back to him. He looked down, saw the top of her head still nestled in his chest, and he remembered the kiss from last night. The kiss that broke through the anger he held inside, and set his heart free to love her again. He pulled her closer to him. She stirred, and looked up with fear in her eyes.

"Booth, what happened? Why am I in your bed? Why are you holding me?"

He let her go, and felt an ache in his heart, but she didn't move away from him. She stayed against his chest with her arms wrapped around him. The realization of the previous day came back to her.

"Booth, Vincent's dead isn't he?" He slowly wrapped his arms around her again.

"Yes, he was dead at the scene. They couldn't help him."

"Oh, Booth, he was so young, he had his whole life ahead of him. I never should have told him to come in, but Hodgins told me that he loved dinosaurs since he was a child. I just wanted him to have some fun. He had been so serious since he quit drinking."

"Bones, Jacob was aiming for me. It had nothing to do with you or Vincent. I was the intended target."

He realized that she was still in his arms.

"Bones, you understand that this is personal now I have to get him, I have to take him down."

"I know, but you need to be careful. I…" She stopped talking.

"What is it Bones? What did you want to say?"

"I don't want to lose you. I'm worried about you."

He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She responded by pulling him close. He moved his head away from her and looked in her eyes.

"Bones, you won't lose me. You see, I just found you, and I want to make this work. To make us work."

"Is it time now Booth? Time for us?"

"Yes, Temperance, it is time for us. It's finally time for us."

They lay in bed for a while just holding each other, neither one wanting to move. His phone rang. He tried to ignore it, but she told him to answer.

"If I answer, you can't move? Ok?"

She laughed. "Ok."

He picked up his phone. It was the Bureau, they spotted Brodsky. He hung up, and looked at her. He knew he had to go, but didn't know where to leave her. He wanted her safe.

"I need to go. They spotted Brodsky. I'm going to take you to the lab; the only people allowed in or out are you squints, so you will be safe. Will you be ok there?"

"Yes, I will be fine."

She pulled away from him and got out of the bed. He walked around the bed to look at her again.

"Bones, I will be back to pick you up. Don't leave the building under any circumstances."

"I won't Booth, I'll stay there."

He bent down and gave her another quick kiss, then went to get dressed. He drove to the Jeffersonian, walked her inside, and checked with the agents in charge of security. When he was sure of her safety, he left.

.

She walked into the lab, and avoided looking at the platform. She looked for Angela, and saw her in the light room surrounded by the latest victim's x-rays. She walked into the room. Angela ran to her and held her tight, and they both began to cry. After a few minutes, Angela looked at her.

"Bren, where did you go last night? We know you left with Booth, but they made the rest of us stay here. They wouldn't let us leave."

"I went home with Booth." Brennan looked down at her feet, and then looked up at Angela with a shy smile on her face. Angela knew something happened last night.

"What exactly happened?"

"He kissed me." Angela pulled her into her arms.

.

Jacob was spotted entering the same area as yesterday. It occurred to him that what he sensed yesterday was Jacob's presence. His next intended target must be in that area. He drove to the same park, but before pulling into the area, he drove around the perimeter. He noticed that there was a cemetery, as well as a loading dock in the vicinity of the park.

He parked the SUV, and picked up the rifle from the seat next to him. He was torn about what he had to do. He knew he had to take Brodsky out; he had an obligation to his friends, family and his country. Yes, his country. Jacob's actions threatened the innocent bystanders, who he considered collateral damage. The killing of both Tracy Leveque, and Vincent Nigel Murray proved that, but he had hoped never to revisit that place again.

That place that his brain entered, when he went for the kill. The cold, calculated feeling that came over him, just before he pulled that trigger. He thought he left that behind, when he left the war behind. He hated that he was able to do that, able to take a human life, without hesitation. He remembered the many nights that he stayed awake after performing his duty to his country. Thinking about what he would say to God when he met him at the end of his life. How would he justify all the lives he took for his country? Now it would be one more, one more kill one more death. The cosmic balance sheet that he kept in his head would never cease to exist. Well, it was time. He knew what he had to do, and the time had come to complete the task.

He opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. He slowly made his way through the cemetery, and onto the loading dock, constantly watching for Brodsky. This was slightly different from his other kills, because he was looking for his target, instead of waiting for the target to come into range.

He spotted him in the distance. His back was to him, and he was just watching something or someone. The problem was he was almost a half mile away, and Booth knew he had only one shot. One chance to do this right, and he didn't trust himself to make the shot without a support under the rifle.

He looked around at the shipping containers that surrounded him. He climbed on top of the nearest one and set up to make the shot. He measured the distance, the wind resistance, and saw the target. He placed his eye to the scope, and felt that cold, numbness take over his body. He gently pulled the trigger, and felt the impact of the gun on his shoulder. He saw Brodsky slump to the ground. It was finished. The count was now 54, and he laid his head onto the container and cried.

.

.

Eventually, he got up and walked back to his car. He knew Special Agent Genny Shaw, took care of the aftermath of his task. They had arranged it so Booth could leave once the job was done. He drove back to the lab, to tell them they were safe, and they could finally go home.

As he walked into the lab, he realized that they knew. Although they tried to remain somber, he could feel the underlying relief in their demeanor. Bones walked up to him and he looked into her face. He saw sorrow in her eyes. She knew how he felt, she knew the how he struggled with taking a life. He pulled her close, and she hugged him.

"I'm sorry you had to do that Booth. I know how difficult it is for you." She let him go, and they walked onto the platform. He noticed that the area was clean and everything was back to normal. As if, this nightmare had never happened, but it did happen and next, they would have to lay a colleague to rest, attend another funereal, and say goodbye to another friend.

.

He spent the rest of the day with the squints, only leaving long enough to file his report. After, they went to the Founding Fathers, to celebrate, not the solving of a case, but a life; the life of a young man, who loved dinosaurs and won at Jeopardy. Who could tell you random facts about any and all subjects. By the end of the evening, a sense of closure pervaded them, and one by one, they went home. He and Bones left together, and as he walked her to the door, he kissed her goodbye.

"Booth, do you want to come in?"

"Do you need me to come in with you, or do you want me to come in with you?"

"I don't know what that means."

"Do you need me, because of the situation from the past few days, or do you want me for something else. Something I am not ready to provide right now. Bones I want to take this slow. I can't do anymore, impulsive relationships. I want us to take our time. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Booth I understand, so I guess the answer to your question is I want you to come in, but I understand why you won't."

"Thank-you. I will see you tomorrow. I'll pick you up in the morning, and I'll take you out for breakfast."

He pulled her close and kissed her good night. Then he walked to his truck and drove away. Temperance stood at the door and watched his SUV disappear in the distance. She smiled, because she knew that this was a new beginning for both of them, and in the future, they would finally get their moment.


End file.
